Another Dream

Jasmine saw Liliana at the end of the lunch break and got her math homework back from her. She turned it in when the class had started and tuned out the instructor as she worked on the outline for her short story assignment for English class.

No homework had been assigned for the day, so when she got back home, she returned to working on her art project. When her sister got home, other than having to answer the usual inquiry about "Have you done your homework" from Krystal, she was mostly left to her own devices.

The dragon artwork was quickly taking shape with most of it inked in and with choices of colors being all that was really left.

It was a picture of a dragon in flight with its feathered wings outstretched amongst the thundering clouds overhead. While below, the waves of a wild sea struck the bottom of a treacherous cliff.

This was a scene of her dreams.

She had repetitive dreams in the past about this world and the dragons in it. Though, she didn't seem to ever be able to hear them speak, so she had no idea what genders they had or the names they went by. That world though, was different.

Some of her most vivid memories of that place were of bone white buildings of various ancient designs. Some looked a lot like those of the Parthenon in Greece or the temples in Egypt, but they were all made of pristine white marble in that place.

The clean, white building drew a stark contrast against the inky, black mountains that flanked the city and trapped it on a beach of equally pitch-black sand.

Even then, it wasn't a completely sterile place as there was a wide variety of colors in the thick, rainforest like foliage that was in the surroundings and the bright colors that the inhabitants wore.

The people that lived in such a place would look human enough, but some characteristics gave them away as being something more. Such as a swish of a tail from under a coat or the modifications to a dress to accommodate for the owner's wings.

It really did seem like something that could only be possible in the dreams of an imaginative child.

'Maybe it is immature of me to be dreaming of such a fantasy,' Jasmine silently criticized herself, but was pleased that all she needed to do was color the piece. It would certainly be done in time for the contest next week.

After dinner, Jasmine got ready for bed, brushed her teeth and set the alarm clock before settling in for the night. As she started drifting off into lala land, she faintly heard a rustle of feathers before she lost consciousness.

----------

War had erupted on the desert plains amongst the humans, and many lost souls needed to be guided to the Underworld. To do this, Uriel assigned the task of forming a patrol to descend and guide the souls to Azazel. Taking this opportunity to shine, Azazel went forth to assemble a team for the excursion. He took in consideration that the troop was going to be on a battlefield, so it was best to bring the most experienced and talented for the job. So, the team he assembled was comprised of himself, Samael, Azrael, Suriel, Raziel and his top student, Levana.

Normally, Levana would have been left behind, but Azazel couldn't ignore that she was not only the best in her class but that she was also among the most talented of the angels of death. So he had set aside his own prejudices and included her in the group.

They left the next day and descended to the humans' realm. There they were met with the aftermath of the brutal slaughter. Blood painted the field a sickly red with random crude, primitive stick and stone weaponry scattered amongst the twisted and mangled pale bodies. This scene was becoming a little more common of late as one group of humans, having been manipulated by demons, attacked their neighboring tribes.

Every time he saw scenes like these, Azazel became that much more aggravated. For if it wasn't for the Seraphim Council's ridiculous policy of isolation and reluctance at getting involved with the humans, then the angels could have taught the helpless humans how to defend themselves from the demon possessed. It angered him to think he held the knowledge that could have spared some of these lesser beings' lives. Instead, Azazel and his group would have to guide the souls to the underworld and then hunt down the demon possessed. It was not only more work, but depressing work.

They finished guiding the lost fairly quickly and regrouped to begin the hunt. Azazel, being the lead, formed the battle plan and decided to break the troop into three two-man cells: Samael with Raziel, Azrael with Suriel, and Azazel with Levana. They would split to search for the nomadic tribe of possessed humans and when they locate their target, they would regroup to make their attack.

------------

Since Levana was the youngest and least experienced of the group, Azazel went with her, but by no means was he very happy about it. In his eyes, she was Uriel's brat that he was responsible for babysitting her. If this kid got hurt, he'd probably have to deal with both Raphael's whining and Uriel's displeasure.

Also, Azazel couldn't really trust the others with keeping an eye on Levana. For he knew for a fact that she was hated for becoming an angel of death with such little effort, and her cool, unconcerned self-assurance angered others.

He also understood that it was that unreachable and calm composure was a side effect of her ignorance more than her arrogance. Still, it didn't stop Samael from complaining unceasingly to Azazel about it, and it wasn't too far-fetched to guess that the others were of the same sentiment.

Azazel wasn't bothered too much about whether or not his efforts had been shamed, because he didn't think much of the position in the first place. Originally, he was an angel dedicated to war and worked as one of the Powers, so he wasn't like Samael in that his role as an angel of death was all that he had. Thus, he wasn't particularly emotionally attached to this secondary role.